30th Mar 2007 08:14
DSG International PLC30 March 2007 PR42/07 30 March 2007 RNS DSG INTERNATIONAL PLC AND VODAFONE UK JOIN FORCES TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES - Vodafone Connectivity Centres to be opened in 30 PC World stores, with potential roll-out to further stores - Agreement in principle to leverage TechGuys services to support Vodafone small business customers Vodafone UK+ (Vodafone UK Ltd) and DSG international Plc (DSGi) have signed aninitial Heads of Terms agreement to provide mobility solutions to small businesscustomers. The partnership will initially see 30 Vodafone Connectivity Centresintegrated into PC World stores, with the intention to roll out to furtherstores. PC World is the UK's leading chain of computing superstores and theUK's leading manufacturer of own-brand PCs. Under the agreement, Vodafone UKwill sell its range of mobile and voice and data services through the VodafoneConnectivity Centres in PC World stores. DSGi and Vodafone have also committed to working together to investigate ways inwhich IT service and support can be improved for Vodafone small business andSOHO* customers through DSGi's digital support service for the 21st century home- The TechGuys. The TechGuys, formed in September 2006, offer a digital supportservice to UK homes via field engineers and specialist call-centre basedtechnicians. The TechGuys service is available to customers irrespective ofwhere they buy their technology. There are currently 3,000 fully qualifiedTechGuys offering services nation-wide, with an additional 2,000 expected tojoin the TechGuys team over the next three years. John Clare, chief executive of DSG international, said: "I am very pleased toannounce this important agreement with Vodafone. The worlds of computing andmobile communications are integrating rapidly and this partnership will leveragePC World's strengths in computing with Vodafone's mobile know-how. Our commonground is a substantial client base in the small business sector and we believethat our combined services will offer exceptional expertise and value to ourbusiness customers." Kyle Whitehill, director of Vodafone UK's Enterprise Business Unit, said: "We're very pleased to have reached this agreement with DSGi and PC World, theUK's leading computer superstore chain. Over the past year, Vodafone has set outits strategy to enhance the range of services it offers its enterprise customersand to widen its offering to small business customers in particular. Thisagreement is a significant step along that journey and is great news for smallbusiness customers of both our companies." + Vodafone UK refers to Vodafone UK Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary ofVodafone Group Plc. *SOHO is defined as Small Office Home Office and refers to the small office orhome office environment and business culture. - Ends - More information: Hamish Thompson 01727 203195 / 07702 684290 Director of media relations DSG international Plc Vodafone Group Media Relations 0845 4444466 or [email protected] About Vodafone Vodafone UK has 16.9 million customers and is part of the world's leadinginternational mobile telecommunications Group, offering a wide range of voiceand data communications. The company is committed to providing mobile solutionsthat allow both consumer and business customers to make the most of now. Inaddition, Vodafone connects customers across the globe with roaming agreementsworldwide. It provides 3G roaming in 29 countries and offers great roaming valuewith Vodafone Passport. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.co.uk. About DSG international Plc DSG international Plc is Europe's leading specialist electrical retailing group. It operates a multi-channel approach to electrical retailing and trades throughmore than 1,200 stores and online stores, spanning 27 countries and employing40,000 people. More than 100 million customers shop in-store and online withDSGi every year. DSGi's retail and e-tail brands include PC World, Currys and Dixons.co.uk in theUK and Ireland, Elkjop in the Nordic countries, UniEuro in Italy, Kotsovolos inGreece, ElectroWorld in central Europe, PC City in France, Spain, Italy andSweden, and Pixmania.com across Europe. DSGi offers customers a comprehensive range of after sales services, includingour national customer support operation for IT and digital technology, TheTechGuys, which offers telephone and home-based support services throughout theUK. It also runs a multi-brand business-to-business operation in the UK. About PC World PC World, part of DSG international plc, is the UK's largest chain of computersuperstores with more than 155 stores nation-wide. Stores offer more than 5,000product lines including extensive ranges of PCs, printers, software, peripheralsand accessories from all the major brands. A range of over 15,000 products isoffered in the PC World Business catalogue with 20,000 available on the businessweb site. PC World also provides technical advice and services support to all customers,including the award winning PC Healthcheck, which is available in all stores. Bybooking an appointment at the Advice and Service Centre in-store, PC owners canidentify whether their PC is working properly and whether there are any viruseson the system which are causing problems - whether they purchased the PC at PCWorld or not. PC World's automated data backup service offers customers 50gigabytes of store for £9.99 per month. PC World Customer services contact: 0870 242 0444 or www.pcworld.co.uk About the TechGuys The TechGuys launched on 4th September 2006 as the first national, 24/7, fullycertified technical support service. The company operates a 'no fix no fee'policy for when gadgets go wrong, but also aims to help people get the most fromtheir technology by explaining and demonstrating full functionality. The serviceis open to everyone, regardless of where the technology was purchased. There are currently 3,000 fully qualified TechGuys across the country, with afurther 2,000 being trained over the next three years. The company estimatesthat over 80% of queries can be solved over the phone, with lines available 24/7. There is also an online service at www.TheTechGuys.com and the capacity tovisit 15,000 homes every week. The business is fully owned by DSG international plc, owners of PC World, Currysand Dixons.co.uk. DSGi will invest £50 million into The TechGuys business overthe next three years. The creation of The TechGuys creates a potential of 2,000new jobs across the UK and a further 1,000 across Europe. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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